Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to means for restraining the transverse displacement of the rotating elements of a system such as a flywheel rotor in the presence of accelerations of the system, and more specifically, it relates to a non-contacting means for achieving such restraint.
Description of Related Art
In some applications of systems employing magnetic bearings it is important to employ “snubbers” that restrain the transverse displacement of the rotating elements of the system (e.g., a flywheel rotor) in the presence of accelerations of the system. When such accelerations are infrequent, e.g., when they come from seismic events, touchdown bearings, a prior art type of snubber bearings, utilizing restraint by direct contact (and thus involving the possibility of frictional abrasion) can be used. However, due to the frictional loses, such touchdown bearings are not ideal when accelerations are frequent. Thus, non-contact snubber bearings are desirable for use when accelerations are frequent.